Utah Travel Headlines

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Changes At Dinosaur National Monument Plus Dead Horse Point Yurts

Leg fossil at Dinosaur National Monument - Dave Webb

Dinosaur
National Monument is one of the great places in the world to see
and learn about dinosaur fossils. The monument also offers incredible
scenery, great adventure and fascinating ancient Native American rock
art.

The Monument has announced changes in
its open hours and services. The Deseret News has this
report. Below are excerpts.

Through September,
the Quarry Visitor Center will be open daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and
the Quarry Exhibit Hall will be open daily, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Beginning Oct. 1, the Quarry Visitor Center and Exhibit Hall will be
open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Also, staff will continue to offer daily
ranger-guided hikes on the Fossil Discovery Trail at 10 a.m. and 1
p.m. through Sunday.

On the Colorado
side of the monument, the Canyon Visitor Center is open daily from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 18, when it will close for the season.

Campgrounds will
also begin closing for the season or going into winter operations.
Water service at the Echo Park Campground will be turned off Sept.
23. Campers may still use the campground but must bring their own
water. When water is not available, camping fees will not be charged.

Camping has long been popular at scenic
Dead Horse Point
State Park. Now, beginning Oct. 1, visitors will have the option
or staying in a yurt. Brett Prettyman describes them in this
article from the Salt Lake Tribune. Here are excerpts.

Three of the
large, round structures will open for rental at the park Oct. 1. Each
can sleep up to six people with a queen-size bunk bed and a full-size
futon. Air conditioners and a furnace mean the yurts will be open
throughout the year.

"Two of the
yurts look into across the La Sal Mountains and into the Colorado
River canyon," said Dead Horse Point State Park manager Megan
Blackwelder. "An hour before sunset you can see the canyon turn
bright orange. It will be particularly beautiful every day at sunrise
and sunset. Ninety percent of our visitors come from out of state and
a lot of them are not campers. We wanted to offer a different
experience and give people another way to spend the night in the
park."